Derivatives
On any given day, the derivatives market is a busy place. You won’t catch us trying to cover it all. Instead, we’re looking for themes, trends and structural changes that affect the market’s buy-side participants.
Right now, our favourite topics include: Libor reform, structured investments and risk transfer, the search for yield, and new ways of accessing liquidity.
UK funds fall out of love with sterling swaps
Lower yields, Libor transition and margin rules help make gilt repo the desired hedging tool for LDI funds
Calls grow for more oversight of ESG ratings
Current metrics are too fragmented and should have regulatory oversight, panel argues
Callable repack frenzy opens up new options market in Europe
Demand driven mainly by French life insurers looking for alternatives to low-yielding sovereign bonds
Libor Telethon playback: regulators stress ‘no new use’
Watch BoE, FCA, Fed and industry speakers tackling prickly cessation questions
Investors weigh merits of ESG hedging
Opinion divided over proposed tool for transferring risk of non-sustainable activities
New HKEX warrant buyers surf vol in unfamiliar waters
While stock volatility is boosting inline warrant turnover, it’s driving bets more suited to wholesale products
Prime fund exodus threatens SOFR credit add-on
Falling commercial paper and certificate of deposit issuance could leave new benchmarks with data gaps
Forward momentum: the new world of NDF trading
NDF landscape is changing as trading volumes drive electronification and algo execution – but challenges remain
CalSTRS CIO: new derivatives needed to hedge ESG risks
Second-largest US pension fund has also reduced fixed income allocation to 12% as rates have fallen
China Minsheng Bank MStar shines in volatile markets
Investors in China are continuing to turn away from once-favoured products that offer an implied guarantee return – instead flocking into floating-return solutions linked to global financial markets
The evolution of pricing bonds and the data journey
Jason Waight, head of regulatory affairs, Europe at MarketAxess, considers why access to flexible data is key to using new trading protocols in fixed income
Pricing data in fixed income markets – Is transparency truly an issue?
Jason Waight, head of regulatory affairs, Europe at MarketAxess, explains how investment in commercial transparency solutions has proven itself in 2020, and why this leaves a question mark over the potential value of a centralised bond tape
Libor webinar playback: traders hope for liquidity catalysts
Panellists from JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Tradeweb discuss "make or break" year for transition
Lagging futures market holding back swaptions RFR transition
“Elephant in the room” is hindering non-linear growth and swap market liquidity, say rates traders
Recent defaults lead to record credit derivatives payouts
CDS auctions have yielded historically low recovery rates this year, meaning swap sellers have had to pay more than normal
WisdomTree shuts oil ETPs after Shell terminates swap deal
Counterparty departure forces closure of eight oil trackers with $580 million of assets
CFTC advisory body backs six-month initial margin ‘grace period’
Majority vote to recommend extra six-month extension for phases five and six of initial margin rules
Simm may come with a side benefit – a common data standard
Buy-side firms using Acadiasoft for Simm calculations must adopt the ORE XML data format
Libor webinars: loans, bonds and derivatives
Listen here to three Risk.net webinars, covering topics from transition timelines to market turmoil
FX swap users hope to avoid month-end crunch
Blowout in spreads prompted SSGA and other managers to limit need for hedges today
Hedge funds see big gains on dividend curve trades
A popular relative value strategy delivered unexpected profits when companies axed payouts
Hedge fund Parplus said to be source of ABN’s $200m loss
New York-based volatility fund had close ties to defaulted prop shop Ronin Capital
Swaps liquidity slumps as Treasury stress spreads
Big buy-side participants report “worst day” for market depth in 10 years, as spreads widen and prices gap
Dispersion trades suffer in coronavirus selloff
Losses put at roughly $150m – even before markets tanked on March 9